Lenovo takes on Apple TV and Google Chromecast with its own Cast streamer

Lenovo has announced its first media streamer to take on the likes of Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV and the Google Chromecast.

And it is the latter rival device that will perhaps draw the biggest comparison, not because the Lenovo Cast is a dongle that hides from view, but because of its price point. Lenovo's streaming puck will be available from August globally for $49 (around £32 at the current exchange rate).

Additionally, instead of featuring its own app store and services such as Netflix or BBC iPlayer, the Lenovo Cast is more a wireless hub that accepts and streams video from Miracast or DLNA-enabled devices, including smartphones, tablets or PCs.

It is therefore iOS, Android and Windows 8.1 compatible and can also mirror the screen of Android devices onto a TV to play games on the big screen.

It has a HDMI output, both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi antennas (one better than the Chromecast) and is capable of outputting video up to 1080p.

It is a tiny device that is intended to be portable, being just 70mm in diameter and 15mm in height. It weighs 50g.

With many modern smart TVs also offering DLNA and Miracast support, we wonder if there's much of a call for a device that doesn't technically stream content over the internet itself, but if you have an older television you might find it will do the job for you.